1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a high power vacuum attachment apparatus. It is a unique apparatus involving a housing with both an open bottom and an open front and includes a movable gate to act as an intake control as well as a safety device. It is typically attached to high power vacuum systems, such as fluid vacuums for commercial use, such as for removing liquid from the bottom of storage facilities. It is particularly advantageous for removal of liquid in shallow pools where three or four inch diameter nozzles intake air.
2. Prior Art Statement
Vacuuming has been available for decades. Conventional home cleaning systems include built-in units, hand carrying units, uprights and canister units, etc. These, however, are very different from high power units which are used to remove fluids in commercial applications. For example, the evacuation of liquids of low to high viscosity from pool storage tanks, process vessels, etc., requires tremendous suction for effective evacuation and different factors are involved. In home units, there is no possibility of injury to the user from the pull of the vacuum itself, little concern for corrosivity and little consideration for physical control of the vacuum head attachment itself. Much like a powerful fire hose, a commercial vacuum has such power and force that it can easily cause serious injury or even kill a user. For these reasons and others, it is believed that the home vacuum units for household cleaning, for removal of leaves and the like are not comparable to commercial units requiring different structures and drawing thousands of cubic feet per minute. Nonetheless, patents from the non-analogous art have been surveyed and are discussed herein as typical of advances in the low power vacuum area.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,135,986 to Tolin describes a vacuum cleaning tool which includes outwardly extending sidewalls and a sponge arrangement for a nozzle. U.S. Pat. No. 2,904,816 to Skolfield describes a rug vacuum cleaner with intake adjustment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,013 to Belmont describes a vacuum attachment with a squeegee on its leading edge. U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,217 to Hommes describes a surface cleaning pick head for a vacuum device with a suction increasing arrangement for picking up large objects of debris and litter. U.S. Pat. No. 3,862,469 to Burgoon describes an industrial vacuum cleaner with a two position flap for pick up of small objects in one position, and larger objects in the other position.
Notwithstanding the substantial prior art relating to vacuum attachments, the present invention system with infinite control and a housing with a fully open front and bottom is neither taught nor suggested.